Ammunition feed box



Dec. 13, 1932. R Q COUPLAND 1,890,639

AMMUNITION FEED BOX B MM @WZ A TTORNEY Eid-Lard E- lflzplavuil AMMUNITION FEED BOX Filed April 16. 1931 2 Sheets-Shee 2 v2 2r so 26 mi 6..;

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Rlchard E- Enupland B" 'A ToRNEY Patented Dec. 13, 1932 RICHARD C. COUPLAND, OF THE UNITED STATES ARMY, NORFOLK, VIRGINIA AMMUNITION FEED BOX Serial N0. 530,583.

(GRANTED UNDER THE ACT F 'MARCH 3, 1883, AS AMENDED APRIL 30, 1928; 3700. G. 757) The invention described herein may be manufactured and used by or for the Government for governmental purposes, without the payment to me of any royalty thereon.

The subject of this invention is an ammunition feed box especially applicable for machine guns mounted on aircraft or land vehicles where space is extremely limited and the gunner is obliged to position the box with one hand.

The present invention is designed particularly as an improvement over the box shown in Patent No. 1,7 99,283, issued April 7, 1931. In this type of box a slidable cover carries a i5 feed pawl for advancing the cartridge belt into the feedway of the gun.

The improvements are directed essentially to the provision of an exit which will support two cartridges, of a sliding connection between the cover and box that will house means for holding the cover in place, and of mea-ns for confining the cartridges to the box when the cover has been moved to the loading position. In addition there is provided a novel method of securing the feed box in a support.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, the invention resides in the novel arrangement and combination of parts and in the details of construction hereinafter described and claimed, it being understood that changes in the precise embodiment of the invention herein disclosed may be made within the scope of what is claimed without depart- 5 ing from the spirit of the invention.

A practical embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a view in side elevation of the improved ammunition feed box, mounted in its support, parts being broken away to show the normal position of the end rounds of the belt.

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the box of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a view in side elevation parts being broken away and showing the belt advanced into the feedway of a machine gun.

Fig. 4 is a plan view of Fig. 3. Y

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary view in front elevation of the box.

Fig. 6 is a sectional view on the line 6--6 of Fig. 4.

Referring to the drawings by numerals of reference:

The ammunition feed box 5 is in the form of a rectangular open carton of light metal or water-proof fiber-board adapted to contain a belt of ammunition 6. The front wall 7 which is adjacent the gun 8 when the box is placed in the support 9 is terminated short of the top of the box to provide an exit 10, the dimensions of which are substantially equal to a cartridge 11. The upper margin of the front wall is formed into a transverse groove 12 adapted to receive a lug 13 of the support when the box is moved laterally through the action of the spring 14, carried by the outer wall 15 of the support 9. By virtue of this engagement the box is firmly held in place but may be readily removed.

A guide plate 16 secured to the inside of the wall 7 to cover the internal projection of the groove 12 is turned outwardly to form a shelf 17 constituting the floor of the exit 10 and projecting beyond the side wall 7 so that when the box is in position the shelf is inserted in the feedway 19 of the gun and overlies the iioor 18. The shelf is of suflicient depth to support two cartridges, and includes perpendicular sides 20 (Fig. 5) having angularly disposed upper ends 21 parallel to the shelf to restrict the mouth 0f the exit to the size of a cartridge. The inside corners 22 of the ends 21 are flared upwardly to insure a smooth delivery of the cartridges to the mouth of the exit. The shelf is receivable in the feedway 19'of the gun and the spacing between the ends 21 enables the feed pawl 19a of the gun to be reciprocated without interference.

` drawn by the bolt.

The cover 23 of the feed box is conveniently mounted for sliding movement by means of a tongue and groove connection (Fig. 6). In the present instance the tongue 24 is formed by turning the upper edge of the side plate 25 of the container over upon itself and the groove 26 is provided by complementarily channeling the sides of the cover.

The tongue 24 houses a spring 27 carrying a stud 28 Whose rounded head protrudes through an aperture 29 in the tongue and is selectively engageable in apertures 30-30 in the groove member 26 of the cover, to respectively hold the cover in the normal position shown in Fig. 1 and in the loading position shown in Fig. 3. A finger 31 (Figs. 4 and 5) at the inner end of one of the groove members is engageable with the corresponding end of the tongue to prevent movement Y of the cover away from the gun beyond the prescribed normal position. l

Referring to Fig. 2, the vcover* is of less length than the opening of the feed box and the front side is provided centrally with a recess 32 in rea-r of Which is a transverse depression 33. rlhis depression accommodates the joint 34 of a hinge member, the fixed leaf 35 being secured to the cover by means of rivets, and the loose leaf constituting a belt advancing paWl 36 overlying the recess 32 and having a depending extremity 36a normally positioned in rear of the second cartridge of the belt. A torsion spring 37 mounted on the pivot pin of the joint 34 exerts'suflicient pressure on the paWl 36 to insure retention of the two end rounds in the exit'lO and to prevent accidental Withdrawal of the belt. yThe rear Wall 38 of the feed box is terminated short of the top of the box to aecommodate an apron 39 provided on the rear end of the cover in continuation of a rib40. A large'bearing surface for the hand of the operatorl is obtained bv this structure Which also vserves to strengthen the edge of the cover. s

The upper edge of the rear Wall 38 of the box is likewise reinforced by a transverse rib 41 terminating in the Wings 42 extending along the side Walls parallel to and below the cover and serving to confine the cartridges to the box When the cover has been moved to the loading position as seen in Figs. 3l and 4 The requirementsalvvays emphasized in an ammunition box for aircraft guns are rapidity and facility of applying the box to the gun rand these are met in the box of this invention. The operation of applying the box 5 consists in grasping it with the left hand, lovveringit into the support 9, allowing` it to be moved laterally by the spring 14 to insert the exit in the feedway of the gun and moving the cover 23 to the right to advance thev end cartridge into position to be With- All of this is accomplished by an uninterrupted effort Without releasing the box or changing the position of the hand relative to the box. Furthermore by having the paWl 36 engaged behind the l makes the end cartridge immediately available vto the extractor of the bolt so that the bolt need be operated only once to Yload the O'un. b With the cover of the feed box in the loading position, theJ cover of the gun may be raised for the purpose of gaining 'access to the bolt to clear stoppages Without fear of losing the belt or disarranging the belt 0r the end cartridges because the pavvl. will hold the belt in the feedWay 19 `of the gun. The paWl also prevents the belt from falling back into the box. v The'l machin-e gun is illustrated as Vbeing mounted on a cradle 43 pivotally carriedby ilf standard or yoke 44. The support 9 is secured to the cradle by screws/l5, only onefof vwhich is shown in Fig. 1'.

I claim.

1. The combination with a machine gun having a cartridge'feedvvay, a'support adjacent the feedvvay of the gun, a lug onf the side of the support next to the gun, anda spring on the side opposite ,the 1ug,-ofank ammunition feed box insertable inthe support andl movable laterally to be engagedby the lug on the support, said feedbox having Way of the gun. v Y

2. The combinationtwith a machine .gun having a cartridge feedway, a support adjacent the feedway of the gun, a lug on the side of the support next to the gum'and a spring on the side opposite the lug, of an ammunition feed'box insertable in'the'support and a projecting mouth insertable inthe feedmovable laterallyto be engaged bythe lugL on the support. 1

.3. The combination with a machine gun Y having a cartridge feedvvay, of an ammunition box supported adjacent the feedwayan'd adapted toV contain a-belt of cartridges, an

exit in the box positioned to register with the feedway'and having a floor of suliicient width|` to support tvvo cartridges, a cover slidable'on; the box, and al feed pavvl carriedby the cover and normallyY positioned opposite kthe inside edge of the floor of the exit, Wherebytwocartridges are advanced ahead of the pawl when the pavvl is moved to feeding position thereby iso moved laterally by the spring of the support, and a guide plate secured to the inside of said Wall below the groove and turned over to form the floor of the exit.

5. An ammunition feed box comprising a container having a cartridge exit at the upper end of its front Wall, a shelf constituting the iioor of the exit and projecting Within and Without the Wall, the Width of the shelf dimensioned to support two cartridges,the shelf having perpendicular sides With ends turned over parallel to the shelf to restrict the mouth of the exit, and the inside corners of the turned over ends being ared.

6. An ammunition feed box comprising a container having a cartridge exit at the upper end of its front Wall, a shelf constituting the iioor of the exit and projecting Within and Without the Wall, the shelf having perpendicular sides with ends turned over parallel to the shelf to restrict the mouth of the exit, and the inside corners of the turned over ends being flared.

7. An ammunition feed box comprising a container having a cartridge exit at the upper end of its front Wall, the upper portion of each side Wall turned over upon itself to form a tongue having an aperture in its outside Wall, a cover having channeled sides forming grooves members fitting on the tongues, the outside wall of the groove formed With apertures, a spring housed in the tongue, a stud on the spring protruding through the aperture in the tongue and engageable in the apertures of the groove members, and a feed paWl carried by the cover and disposed in the exit.

8. An ammunition feed box comprising a container, the upper portion of each side Wall turned over upon itself to form a tongue having an aperture in its outside Wall, a cover having channeled sides forming groove members fitting on the tongues, the outside Wall of the groove formed With apertures, a spring housed in the tongue, a stud on the spring protruding through the aperture in the tongue and engageable in the apertures of the groove members.

9. An ammunition feed box comprising a container the upper portion of each side Wall turned over upon itself to form a tongue, a cover having grooved sides fitting on the tongues, and means housed Within the tongue and protruding therethrough to engage the grooved side of the cover.

10. An ammunition feed box comprisinga container having a cartridge exit at the upper end of its front Wall, a cover slidable on the container and having a transverse depression, a hinged member having its joint disposed in the depression, the movable leaf of the hinge member constituting a cartridge feed paWl and having a depending extremity movable through the exit.

11. An ammunition feed box comprising a y cover.

RICHARD C. COUPLAND. 

